{"id":247226,"date":"2024-05-01T07:46:18","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T13:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/?p=247226"},"modified":"2024-05-07T12:15:31","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:15:31","slug":"cincinnati-zoo-prioritizes-sustainability-in-construction-of-new-elephant-trek-habitat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cincinnatizoo.org\/cincinnati-zoo-prioritizes-sustainability-in-construction-of-new-elephant-trek-habitat\/","title":{"rendered":"Cincinnati Zoo Prioritizes Sustainability in Construction of New Elephant Trek Habitat"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Conservation e<\/span>fforts <\/span>benefit<\/span> Asian elephants here and<\/span> in India<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text]CINCINNATI, OH (May 1, 2024) <\/span><\/b>\u2013 Earth month may be over, but Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden continues to focus on sustainability as it builds a better home for its elephant herd.\u00a0 All buildings in the new, five-acre Elephant Trek habitat will be LEED certified, all <\/span>water elements will come from stormwater tanks buried under the habitat<\/span><\/a>, and most of the power will come from <\/span>solar panels over the Zoo\u2019s parking lots<\/span><\/a> and a new 165 kW array that will be installed on top of the elephant barn.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Video<\/span><\/a> | <\/span>Photos<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re capturing the rainwater that falls on the Zoo and reusing that to fill the quarter-million-gallon pool that our eight elephants will be swimming in every day and for waterfalls and streams throughout the habitat,\u201d said Cincinnati Zoo\u2019s VP of facilities and sustainability, Mark Fisher. \u201cWe like to joke that our elephants will walk on water, since we\u2019re catching rainwater in tanks under Elephant Trek.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The million-gallon-capacity stormwater tanks aren\u2019t just providing water for animal habitats.\u00a0 They\u2019re keeping water and sewer overflow out of the Zoo\u2019s neighbors\u2019 basements and the Ohio River.\u00a0 AND the Zoo is saving money on utility bills!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Water covers two-thirds of the Earth\u2019s surface, but only a tiny percentage of it is available as clean, fresh water. The Greenest Zoo in America\u00ae and its official water sustainability sponsor Roto-Rooter continue to seek new ways to use less of this precious natural resource.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Protecting natural resources is part of Cincinnati Zoo\u2019s commitment to save wildlife, locally and globally.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re working to promote coexistence, especially in areas where Cincinnati Zoo animals\u2019 wild counterparts live,\u201d said Dr. Lily Maynard, director of global conservation at the Cincinnati Zoo. \u201c<\/span>As Elephant Trek opening approaches later this year, we’re advancing our active involvement in Asian elephant conservation efforts to ensure they thrive in the wild as much as they do in our care here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″]

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